1 Mark Göttingen; PoW Camp

Göttingen's prisoner-of-war camp was one of hundreds of German military detention facilities that issued their own internal currency during the First World War — a practical response to the need to prevent prisoners from accumulating Reichsmark that could fund escapes or be smuggled out. Camp scrip circulated only within the wire, redeemable solely at the camp canteen, and was theoretically worthless the moment a prisoner left.

J. C. König & Ebhardt were a Hannover commercial printing house, not a security printer. The handstamp was the only real authentication measure — straightforward to fake, which was understood at the time and considered an acceptable risk given the controlled environment.